Turkey Cheese Ball

A cheeseball with pretzels in it and a head to make it look like a turkey.

Turkey Cheese Ball is such a fun addition for your Thanksgiving day celebrations. An easy cheese ball that's made to look like a turkey complete with pretzel 'feathers' and a turkey head with a candy corn beak. Serve with your favorite crackers for a fun and festive appetizer.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword thanksgiving appetizer, turkey cheese ball

Prep Time 20

Chill Time 2

Total Time 2 20

Servings

Calories 292kcal

Author Jessica - Together as Family

Ingredients

2 bars (8 oz each) cream cheese room temperature
1½ cups shredded medium cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried parsley)
1 packet (1 oz) ranch seasoning mix
6 strips bacon (cooked to crispy, chopped)

Turkey Decorations

6 strips bacon (cooked to crispy, chopped)
15 pretzel sticks
5 pretzel twists
6 pecan halves
edible eyeballs
candy corn (for the beak)

Instructions

Into a large bowl, add the cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, parsley, and ranch seasoning packet. Use an electric mixer to beat until everything is well combined and creamy.
^{* You can also mix it with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon if wanted, but it mixes much more thoroughly when using a hand mixer.}
2 bars (8 oz each) cream cheese, 1½ cups shredded medium cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, 1 packet (1 oz) ranch seasoning mix
Stir the bacon into the cream cheese mixture until combined.
6 strips bacon
Take a golf ball sized amount of the cheese ball mixture and roll it into a ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for later.
Place a large piece of plastic wrap onto a cutting board or the countertop. Dump the cheeseball mixture onto the middle of the plastic wrap. Use the plastic wrap to mold and shape the cheese ball mixture into a ball. Wrap the plastic wrap all around the cheeseball and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours (along with the golf ball sized cheese ball).
Once chilled, let's decorate the turkey! First, unwrap the cheeseball and the head that was set aside from earlier. Roll each one in the bacon pieces making sure to gently press the bacon into the cheeseball to help it adhere and secure the toppings.
^{* The eyes and beak/nose adhere better to the head if you don't coat the front of the head in the bacon pieces. Leave it as just the cheeseball.}
6 strips bacon
Place the larger cheese ball onto a serving plate or platter. Stick two rows of pretzel sticks in the back of the turkey. Continue with another row of pretzel twists (in front of the pretzel sticks) and then a row of halved pecans (in front of the pretzel twists). This creates the turkey tail feathers.
6 pecan halves, 5 pretzel twists, 15 pretzel sticks
Push 2-3 pretzel sticks halfway into the head (the smaller cheeseball) and insert it towards the front of the turkey's body. Use the candy eyeballs for the eyes and then the piece of candy corn for the beak.
edible eyeballs, candy corn
Surround the turkey cheeseball with all your favorite crackers and enjoy!

Notes

Bacon : You can also use real bacon bits. You will need about 1 cup to 1.5 cups of real bacon bits.

Tip: The pretzels will get soggy after a couple hours so I highly recommend not decorating the cheeseball as the 'turkey' until right before serving. The cheese ball itself, the small head and the larger cheeseball, can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge 1-2 days ahead of when you need it. Wait to decorate it until right before serving time.

Use Full-Fat Dairy Products : For the best taste and texture I highly recommend using full-fat cream cheese and full-fat sour cream. The reduced-fat or lite versions have added water into them which makes them not as thick and not taste as good (more bland).

Serving Suggestions : Serve this cheese ball with an assortment of dipping options like red pepper slices, green pepper slices, cucumber, carrot sticks, celery sticks, or the most popular option is with an assortment of crackers. We love Wheat Thins, Triscuits, Club Crackers, Ritz Crackers, gluten-free nut crackers, or try some slices of baguette bread or pita chips. Nana bread is another great option as well.

Nutrition